Divide any term, except the first, by the term before it.
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The common ratio is the ratio of the nth term (n > 1) to the (n-1)th term. For the progression to be geometric, this ratio must be a non-zero constant.
It is a geometric progression with common ratio 0.5
15. It's a Geometric Progression with a Common Ratio of 1/5 (or 0.2).
In an arithmetic progression the difference between each term (except the first) and the one before is a constant. In a geometric progression, their ratio is a constant. That is, Arithmetic progression U(n) - U(n-1) = d, where d, the common difference, is a constant and n = 2, 3, 4, ... Equivalently, U(n) = U(n-1) + d = U(1) + (n-1)*d Geometric progression U(n) / U(n-1) = r, where r, the common ratio is a non-zero constant and n = 2, 3, 4, ... Equivalently, U(n) = U(n-1)*r = U(1)*r^(n-1).
The question cannot be answered because it assumes something which is simply not true. There are some situations in which arithmetic progression is more appropriate and others in which geometric progression is more appropriate. Neither of them is "preferred".